Prenatal and perinatal predictors of blood pressure at school age in former preterm, low birth weight infants

Abstract

Objective: To investigate prenatal and perinatal determinants of school age blood pressure (BP) in former preterm, low birth weight infants Study Design We studied 694 participants in the Infant Health and Development Program, an 8-center longitudinal study of children born ≤37 weeks and ≤2500 grams. We obtained information about prenatal and perinatal factors by interview and medical record review and measured BP 3 times at age 6.5 years. Result Adjusting for sex, age, sociodemographic variables, and height z-score, for each z-score birth weight for gestational age – which represents fetal growth – systolic BP at 6.5 years was 0.7 mmHg higher (95% CI −0.1, 1.6). Maternal age, pre-pregnancy weight, gestational weight gain, smoking, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes; and child gestational age and neonatal complications were also not associated with BP. Conclusion: In contrast to full term infants, slower fetal growth was not associated with higher BP in former preterm, low birth weight infants.